Malaysian Media Council pro-tem committee members Norman Goh and Zaharom Nain met with representatives of the Home Ministry in the Parliament building yesterday afternoon.
It is learned that the hour-long meeting, chaired by Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, was to iron out the issue of overlapping powers concerning the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA).
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Goh described the meeting as “fruitful” but declined to elaborate as the details are classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
Malaysiakini learned that the Home Ministry representatives made it clear there is no opposition from their side to the Media Council Bill.
On March 1, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail denied rumours there were attempts to block the formation of a media council, which is in its final stage.
He also clarified the council would fall under the purview of the Communications Ministry and not the Home Ministry.
However, Saifuddin said there is a need to harmonise the issue of overlapping powers from the perspective of law enforcement.
“We (the ministry) have our Enforcement and Control Division… The media council will have its own enforcement arm. So, we want to harmonise it. That’s all,” he added.
Saifuddin also denied rumours that his ministry was planning to amend the PPPA to exert control over online news portals.
On the same note, the minister made it clear that there are no plans to repeal the law, which is viewed as a barrier to press freedom.
The law, which requires print media publications to have a government-issued permit to publish, forces publishers to toe the line to ensure their permits are not revoked.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced in February that the cabinet has approved the formation of an act related to the establishment of the Malaysian Media Council.
He said the next step will be for the Attorney-General’s Chambers to scrutinise it, adding the bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament in June. - Mkini
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